Much can be deduced about a culture’s attitude towards the body and persons with disabilities from the language used to describe them. For example, in the United States, language has evolved alongside the manner in which we understand and relate to people with disabilities, from “invalid,” to “disabled person.”

Disability and language are so connected that the percentage of persons with disabilities in Honduras, according to a 2002 report of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, varies from 0.2% to 20.9% depending solely upon the language used to describe “disability.”

The field of Disabilities Studies is virtually unknown in the international arena and the goal of Dr. Patrick McNamara’s research is to bring this field of study to a wider audience in Mexico.